Savannah Morning News | Don Coblehttp://savannahnow.com/sms/taxonomy/term/131/
enNASCAR NOTEBOOK: Gordon's farewell tour takes another hit in Atlantahttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-03-01/nascar-notebook-gordons-farewell-tour-takes-another-hit-atlanta
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14173163.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="206" /></div></p>
<p>HAMPTON — Jeff Gordon’s farewell tour continued its rough start Sunday with a second crash in as many races.</p>
<p>Gordon was swept into a four-car accident with 68 laps to go in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. After crashing on the final lap of last week’s season-opening Daytona 500, Gordon’s car hit head-first into a concrete wall without any “soft wall” barriers at the end of the backstretch.</p>
<p>“It wouldn’t have been too bad except that I found that one spot where there’s no SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier,” Gordon said. “I can’t believe it. That’s amazing to me. Anyway, hopefully soon that will get fixed. It was a pretty big impact.”</p>
<p>Gordon finished 41st in his final start at Atlanta — the same track where his Sprint Cup Series career started in 1992.</p>
<p>He didn’t leave the track without criticizing the lack of SAFER barriers, especially since every track in NASCAR said it would review unprotected walls following Kyle Busch’s accident Feb. 21 into a concrete wall at the Daytona International Speedway that left him with a compound fracture of his lower right leg and a broken left foot.</p>
<p>“I am very frustrated with the fact there are no SAFER barriers down there,” Gordon said. “I knew it was a hard hit. I didn’t expect it to be that hard. Then I got out and I looked and I saw, ‘Oh, wow,’ big surprise I found the one wall here on the back straightaway that doesn’t have a SAFER barrier.</p>
<p>“I don’t think we can say any more after Kyle’s incident at Daytona. Everybody knows we have to do something and it should have been done a long time ago. All we can do now is hope they do it as fast as they possibly can.”</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>NASCAR emphasizes new rules </strong></p>
<p>NASCAR reminded teams about new rules that went into effect for Sunday’s race, including a warning about tampering with side skirts at the bottom of the car.</p>
<p>A year ago, rear tire changers often grabbed the thin skirt and pulled them out like a snow plow. That created more downforce for the rear wheels, but it also created problems with flat tires when cars got too close in traffic.</p>
<p>“We will use all available resources to police this,” NASCAR director Richard Buck told drivers and crew chiefs during the pre-race drivers meeting.</p>
<p>Teams also were told to stop on pit road after the race so NASCAR could remove the tapered spacer that choked about 125 horsepower from the engines. The taper essentially serves as a restrictor plate to reduce stress on engines.</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Pit stops </strong></p>
<p>Some teams apparently didn’t get the message Friday when they weren’t allowed to participate in pole qualifying because they didn’t get through the inspection process in time. Cars for Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and Regan Smith all finally made it to pit road 30 minutes after the race was supposed to start. What saved them was a 1-hour, 15-minute delay to dry the track following an early-morning shower … </p>
<p>The last pit stall usually is the biggest reward for winning the pole position. But for Joey Logano, it proved to be problematic. Most of pit road is paved with concrete, which has more grip than asphalt, but Logano’s stall had asphalt. While everyone else was getting a big jump after a stop, Logano’s car often spun its tires before it got going.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-03-01/nascar-notebook-gordons-farewell-tour-takes-another-hit-atlanta#commentsSportsDon CobleAtlantaHAMPTONInternational SpeedwayAtlanta Motor SpeedwayAuto racingDale EarnhardtDaytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayJeff GordonJeff GordonJoey LoganoKyle BuschKyle BuschNASCARNASCARPerson CareerQuotationRichard PettySprint Cup SeriesSprint Cup SeriesStock car racingMon, 02 Mar 2015 01:29:13 +0000Don Coble1085583 at http://savannahnow.comJimmie Johnson pulls away for Atlanta Sprint Cup winhttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-03-01/jimmie-johnson-pulls-away-atlanta-sprint-cup-win
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14172888.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="443" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14172889.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="182" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14173194.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="395" /></div><p>HAMPTON — Jimmie Johnson’s race team was too slow getting his car through inspection for Friday’s qualifying session at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. He made up for it with the fastest race car in Sunday’s main event.</p>
<p>Johnson was forced to use last year’s points to start the race in 37th with a provisional exemption. But he didn’t stay there long on a rainy, foggy day.</p>
<p>“This thing was just bad-fast,” Johnson said after leading the final 21 laps.</p>
<p>The final restart came with 14 laps to go. Johnson led Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick after the final caution and Johnson got the jump on both to run away for an easy win. Harvick wound up second, followed by Earnhardt in third, pole-winner Joey Logano in fourth, Matt Kenseth in fifth, Martin Truex Jr. in sixth, A.J. Allmendinger in seventh, Brett Moffitt in eighth, Brad Keselowski in ninth and Ryan Newman in 10th.</p>
<p>“I thought we might be able to keep up with Jimmie,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t know if we could have been able to make a run on him.”</p>
<p>Johnson and Kenseth were in a group of 13 drivers who didn’t pass technical inspection before qualifying. Despite starting at the back of the grid, they combined to lead 218 of 325 laps. Johnson led 92 of the final 127 circuits around the 1.54-mile raceway.</p>
<p>“We had a great race car, and unfortunately the way qualifying went (Friday), we didn’t have a didn’t have a good pit stall pick and it took us a long time to get in front of the No. 19 (Carl Edwards),” Johnson said. “Once we did that we were able to utilize our awesome pit crew; get the stops done and race for the win and get the job done today. Just very, very thankful.”</p>
<p>Johnson said his new pit crew provided the edge that helped get him to the front.</p>
<p>“We weren’t that good (Saturday in the final practice) and they really dug deep and figured out what I needed in this race car and gave me an awesome Lowe’s Chevrolet,” he said.</p>
<p>Harvick also started in the back after he blew an engine during Saturday’s final practice session. He also finished second at the season-opening Daytona 500, and dating back to last season he’s finished in the top three in five consecutive races.</p>
<p>“All in all, it was a great day,” Harvick said. “I’ve got to thank everybody on this car for everything they do.”</p>
<p>The race started 1 hour, 15 minutes late after a morning shower created puddles all the way around the 1.54-mile quad-oval. Once the race got started, it seemed to go through four different stages. Logano dominated the first quarter; Harvick dominated the second; Johnson dominated the third; and the final portion became a battle of survival.</p>
<p>Denny Hamlin’s car lost control coming off the second turn on Lap 257 and crashed. Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray all were involved with Gordon’s car caroming head-first into a concrete wall without any “soft wall” barriers at the end of the backstretch. Nobody was injured. There was another crash with 21 laps remaining that started with Greg Biffle and Joe Nemechek hitting each other. Cars driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson, Regan Smith, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer and Sam Hornish Jr. also were involved. Johnson led Kenseth and Earnhardt for the restart with 14 laps to go. By the time all three were on the backstretch, Johnson was pulling away to a 30-yard lead that swelled to 100-yards at the finish line. The victory locked Johnson into the Chase for the Championship and it extended his record as the only driver to appear in all 14 playoffs.</p>
<p>“This takes a ton of pressure off,” Johnson said. “I want to give a big shout-out to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports especially the 48/88 (Johnson-Earnhardt) shop. We had such a strong run today.”</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-03-01/jimmie-johnson-pulls-away-atlanta-sprint-cup-win#commentsSportsLatest NewsDon CobleAtlantaHAMPTONAtlanta Motor SpeedwayAuto racingBrad KeselowskiBrett MoffittCarl EdwardsChase for the NEXTEL CupDale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt Jr.Jimmie JohnsonJoey LoganoKevin HarvickMartin Truex Jr.Matt KensethNASCARNASCAR Winston Cup SeriesQuotationRyan NewmanSprint CupStock car racingSun, 01 Mar 2015 23:31:33 +0000Don Coble1085577 at http://savannahnow.comDrivers ready for a tough day at the trackhttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-28/drivers-ready-tough-day-track
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14171233.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="202" /></div></p>
<p>HAMPTON — The Atlanta Motor Speedway has the reputation as being one of the toughest tracks to drive. With new rules that make cars tougher to handle, today’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 should be fast and treacherous.</p>
<p>And that’s exactly why the drivers love it.</p>
<p>“The cars are really fun to drive with this new rules package,” Paul Menard said. “They are sliding around and it’s Atlanta and it’s slick and it’s fast and it’s a lot of fun.”</p>
<p>The 1.54-mile D-shaped oval has long, wide, sweeping turns. It also has a lot of bumps and worn out asphalt that chews up tires — each team in today’s race (1 p.m., FOX) has been allotted 11 sets of tires for the 325-lap main event.</p>
<p>NASCAR chopped two inches off the top of the rear spoiler to eliminate some downforce. It also reduced power by 125 horsepower.</p>
<p>The combination of the track, colder temperatures and new rules, however, actually have created faster speeds compared to 2014.</p>
<p>“Every test we’ve ever been to when they slow them down on the straightaway, the speeds pick-up in the center of the corner because you’re just not approaching the corner faster, as fast; so I think the difference is probably 20 mph in a lot of these places in qualifying trim as to how fast you’re approaching the corner,” Kevin Harvick said.</p>
</p>
<p>Harvick won last year’s pole at Atlanta with a fast lap of 190.398 mph. Joey Logano won the pole for today’s race with a hot lap of 194.683 mph.</p>
<p>“Even when you take away a little bit of power, we’re making so much speed in the middle of the corner,” Edwards said. “It’s really fast there. I think NASCAR is heading in the right direction by cutting the spoilers down. I think the farther we go in that direction, the better it’s going to get.”</p>
<p>Harvick was second-fastest in time trials Friday and first in speed during Saturday’s final practice session. A blown engine at the end of the session, however, will send him to the rear of the starting grid.</p>
<p>Since Atlanta offers three and four grooves of racing, Harvick isn’t concerned about working his way through traffic.</p>
<p>“It will just make for a better show,” he said.</p>
<p>Jamie McMurray will start third, followed by Denny Hamlin in fourth, Carl Edwards in fifth, Kyle Larson in sixth, Ryan Newman in seventh, Sam Hornish Jr. in eighth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in ninth and Kasey Kahne in 10th.</p>
<p>Thirteen drivers, including former series champions Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth, all failed to get through the inspection process Friday before the start of qualifying. All had to use provisional exemptions to make the starting lineup.</p>
<p>Atlanta’s wide racing surface provides a lot of options for a driver trying to make up ground, especially as the tires start to wear out. It’s also produced some of the greatest finishes in the sport’s history, including photo-finish wins for Edwards over Johnson in 2005, Dale Earnhardt over Bobby Labonte in 2000, and Harvick over Gordon in 2001.</p>
<p>“It’s a fast track with a lot of character,” Edwards said. “The corners aren’t perfect. There’s bumps and seams and spots with no grip and spots with a ton of grip. It’s not perfect. It’s got character.</p>
<p>“You throw the car down in the corner here and you toss that thing in sideways at 195 mph and you have to manage your tires. It’s just a real fun racetrack. If you don’t have the fastest car in one area, you can make it up somewhere else and you just have to drive the whole way. It’s a good place to race. To me, we could race here every week and I’d be happy. I love it.”</p>
</p>
<p><strong>SPRINT CUP LINEUP</strong></p>
<p>After Friday qualifying; race today</p>
<p>At Atlanta Motor Speedway</p>
<p>Hampton</p>
<p>Lap length: 1.54 miles</p>
<p>(Car number in parentheses)</p>
<p>1. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 194.683.</p>
<p>2. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 193.792.</p>
<p>3. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 193.623.</p>
<p>4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 193.4.</p>
<p>5. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 193.137.</p>
<p>6. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 192.949.</p>
<p>7. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 192.942.</p>
<p>8. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 192.313.</p>
<p>9. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 192.206.</p>
<p>10. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 192.14.</p>
<p>11. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 191.483.</p>
<p>12. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 191.403.</p>
<p>13. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 192.326.</p>
<p>14. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 192.313.</p>
<p>15. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 192.146.</p>
<p>16. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 192.033.</p>
<p>17. (18) David Ragan, Toyota, 191.496.</p>
<p>18. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 191.291.</p>
<p>19. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 190.935.</p>
<p>20. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 190.692.</p>
<p>21. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 190.653.</p>
<p>22. (55) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 190.646.</p>
<p>23. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 190.424.</p>
<p>24. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 189.558.</p>
<p>25. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 189.513.</p>
<p>26. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 189.493.</p>
<p>27. (32) Mike Bliss, Ford, 189.351.</p>
<p>28. (34) Joe Nemechek, Ford, 189.183.</p>
<p>29. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 188.906.</p>
<p>30. (23) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 188.187.</p>
<p>31. (62) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 188.117.</p>
<p>32. (33) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 187.837.</p>
<p>33. (98) Josh Wise, Ford, 183.881.</p>
<p>34. (30) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 181.147.</p>
<p>35. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>36. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota.</p>
<p>37. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Owner Points.</p>
<p>38. (41) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, Owner Points.</p>
<p>39. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, Owner Points.</p>
<p>40. (26) Jeb Burton, Toyota, Owner Points.</p>
<p>41. (35) Cole Whitt, Ford, Owner Points.</p>
<p>42. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Owner Points.</p>
<p>43. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, Owner Points.</p>
<p>Failed to Qualify</p>
<p>44. (66) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>45. (83) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota.</p>
<p>46. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>47. (29) Reed Sorenson, Toyota.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-28/drivers-ready-tough-day-track#commentsSportsDon CobleAtlantaHAMPTONFordSprintToyotaAt Atlanta Motor SpeedwayBobby LabonteCarfax 400Carl EdwardsDale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt Jr.Denny HamlindriverFord 400Jamie McMurrayJeff GordonJimmie JohnsonJoey LoganoKasey KahneKevin HarvickKyle LarsonMatt KensethNASCARNASCARPaul MenardQuotationRyan NewmanSam Hornish Jr.Sprint CupStock car racingThe Atlanta Motor SpeedwayTony StewartSat, 28 Feb 2015 21:53:29 +0000Don Coble1085473 at http://savannahnow.comNASCAR eyes more use of protective barriershttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-24/nascar-eyes-more-use-protective-barriers
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14159958.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="186" /></div></p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch’s head-first crash into a concrete wall last Saturday at Daytona International Speedway has created a renewed focus on Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barriers throughout NASCAR.</p>
<p>Atlanta Motor Speedway will add protective barriers at the infield exit of pit road and the inside wall at Turn 4 in time for Sunday’s Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500.</p>
<p>Daytona, Talladega Superspeedway and Kentucky Speedway already are adding additional barriers.</p>
<p>Busch suffered a compound fracture of his lower left leg and a broken left foot with nine laps remaining in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. </p>
<p>His car veered left after striking a car driven by Erik Jones and struck a wall that lacked any safety barrier.</p>
<p>The speedway had tire walls in place a day later for the Daytona 500.</p>
<p>Busch will be out an indefinite amount of time, car owner Joe Gibbs said.</p>
<p>Immediately after the crash, however, NASCAR vowed to take another look at each raceway to see if there are any other loopholes.</p>
<p>“I think we all know that racing is an inherently dangerous sport, but our priority is safety and we’ll continue to put things in place that make this sport as safe as possible,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer.</p>
<p>“We will accelerate those talks with the tracks. We want this sport to be as safe as possible for not only our drivers, but everyone who participates in the sport and the race fans as well.”</p>
<p>Atlanta is putting up 130 linear feet of temporary barriers. The track will look to make the barriers permanent, as well as looking at any other unprotected walls, after Sunday’s race.</p>
<p>Kentucky Speedway has been contemplating adding SAFER barriers and Busch’s accident pushed them to make a decision in time for the Quaker State 400 on July 11.</p>
<p>“With what happened to Kyle Busch, it ratcheted up the urgency,” Kentucky general manager Mark Simendinger said. “Sometimes you have to see what can possibly happen before you realize that you’ve got a problem that needs to be corrected.”</p>
<p>Simendinger said the inside wall along the backstretch will be fitted with SAFER barriers.</p>
<p>At Talladega, speedway president Grant Lynch told USA Today it would go over every square inch of the 2.66-mile tri-oval to find any vulnerable areas in time for the Geico 500 on May 3.</p>
<p>“We’ll look at our facility and reassess how we can make it better for the competitors as we’ve done with the catchfences and other things over the past 20 years,” Lynch said. “As we’ve seen unusual wrecks happen, we’ve added more as we go.” </p>
<p>SAFER barriers were created at the University of Nebraska. They are steel tubing affixed to foam cushions. The tubing allows the energy at the point of impact to be dissipated throughout a section of tubing instead at a single spot.</p>
<p>What concerns drivers are areas that remain unprotected. In 2013, Denny Hamlin broke his back when he struck a concrete wall at the California Speedway.</p>
<p>The cost, about $500 a foot, of installing the walls is the responsibility of each track.</p>
</p>
</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-24/nascar-eyes-more-use-protective-barriers#commentsSportsDon CobleBusinessTechnologyAtlantaDAYTONA BEACHInternational SpeedwayNASCARAtlanta Motor SpeedwayAuto racingBusinessDaytona International SpeedwayErik Jonesexecutive vice president and chiefFloridaJoe GibbsKentuckyKentucky SpeedwayKurt BuschKyle BuschKyle BuschNASCARNASCARofficerPerson CareerQuotationRockingham SpeedwaySAFER barrierSteve O'DonnellStock car racingTechnologythe Daytona 500The speedwayTue, 24 Feb 2015 23:16:50 +0000Don Coble1085087 at http://savannahnow.comRACING NOTEBOOK: Drivers ready to exit Daytona after long two weekshttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-24/racing-notebook-drivers-ready-exit-daytona-after-long-two-weeks
</p>
<p>By the time Joey Logano finished his burnouts and made his way to Victory Lane last Sunday, many of the drivers from the just-finished Daytona 500 were already on the runway at the Daytona Beach International Airport.</p>
<p>After spending nearly two weeks at Daytona International Speedway, everyone seemed eager to get out of town.</p>
<p>“It seems like we’ve been here for a month,” Kevin Harvick said. “I’m glad (Sunday’s race) is over. I’m relieved for my team that we had a good, solid finish, a good start to the season.</p>
<p>“For me, I’m ready to go to Atlanta.”</p>
<p>The season-opening race at Daytona Beach, Fla., has a unique schedule that calls for drivers to be at the track a total of nine days in an 11-day stretch. The Sprint Unlimited exhibition race and Daytona 500 pole qualifying is a week before the 500, and practice and qualifying heat races last another five days.</p>
<p>Everyone now can get back to their customary schedule of arriving on Friday and racing on Sunday.</p>
<p>For many, that also means getting away from the two restrictor-plate tracks for the more-manageable mile-and-a-half speedways.</p>
<p>“I’m excited about, you know, everything that we do on our-mile-and-a-half stuff. I’m looking forward to going to Atlanta,” Harvick said. “That’s really what it’s all about, is trying to win a race to get yourself positioned in the Chase, be able to try to win more races if you can do that early enough.”</p>
<p>Atlanta also will be the first track where new rules — less horsepower and driver controls inside the car to change the suspension — will be used. Those changes apply to every track on the circuit, with the exception of the plate tracks at Daytona and the Talladega Superspeedway.</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Logano goofs <br />on Letterman</br> </strong></p>
<p>Joey Logano was smart and skillful enough to hold off a three-wide challenge on the final two laps of last Sunday’s Daytona 500, but he didn’t impress late night television host David Lettermen with his knowledge of weights and measures.</p>
<p>“Those cars weigh a ton, don’t they?” Letterman asked.</p>
<p>Logano’s answer had Letterman turning to the audience with a stunned look.</p>
<p>“No, not that much,” Logano said. “They’re about 3,100 pounds.”</p>
<p>Letterman got out of his chair behind the desk and took a guest seat next to Logano.</p>
<p>“Not so dumb, am I?” Letterman said to the audience.</p>
<p>It wasn’t clear if Logano ever figured out a ton was 2,000. It’s also not clear if Logano understood the minimum weight for a Sprint Cup Series car is 3,300 pounds.</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Substitutes <br />at Atlanta</br> </strong></p>
<p>There will be at least three replacement drivers in Sunday’s Folds of Honor Quik Trip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.</p>
<p>Brian Moffitt will drive the No. 55 Toyota from Michael Waltrip Racing for Brian Vickers; Regan Smith will remain in Kurt Busch’s No. 41 Chevrolet from Stewart-Haas Racing; and David Ragan will fill-in for Kyle Busch in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota.</p>
<p>Vickers is recovering from emergency heart surgery last December. He is expected to be back in the car for a race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8.</p>
<p>Kurt Busch has been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR after a Delaware Court last week said it was “more likely than not” that he struck his former girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll.</p>
<p>Although no charges have been filed in Dover, Del., Driscoll was given a protective order against Busch.</p>
<p>And Kyle Busch returned home to Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday after suffering a compound fracture of the lower right leg and a broken left foot in last Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway.</p>
<p>Joe Gibbs Racing announced late Tuesday Ragan will be in its car until Busch is able to return.</p>
</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-24/racing-notebook-drivers-ready-exit-daytona-after-long-two-weeks#commentsSportsDon CobleBusinessAtlantaDAYTONA BEACHInternational SpeedwayThe Sprint UnlimitedAuto racingBrian VickersBudweiser ShootoutBusinessDaytona 500Daytona Beach International AirportDaytona International SpeedwaydriverFloridaforwardGatorade DuelsJoe Gibbs RacingJoey LoganoJoey LoganoKevin HarvickKurt BuschKyle BuschMichael Waltrip RacingNASCARPerson LocationPerson TravelQuotationStock car racingTue, 24 Feb 2015 22:09:30 +0000Don Coble1085082 at http://savannahnow.comOUT FRONT WHEN IT COUNTS: Joey Logano passes Hendrick drivers for Daytona 500 winhttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-22/joey-logano-gives-roger-penske-another-daytona-500-win
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14153833.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="204" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14154186.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="420" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14154338.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="186" /></div><p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The only doubt Joey Logano had during Sunday’s Daytona 500 came after watching two other Ford engines blow up late in the race. But a commanding voice over the team’s radio put him at ease.</p>
<p>“Keep the focus out the window.”</p>
<p>Roger Penske, the most formidable car owner in auto racing history, just wanted to remind his young driver to be positive.</p>
<p>And to keep pushing forward.</p>
<p><a href="http://beta.spotted.savannahnow.com/mediadetail/21777543/?gId=582625" target="_blank"><strong>View Spotted photos from the Daytona 500.</strong></a></p>
<p>Logano’s Ford was the only car at Daytona International Speedway that could keep up with — and pass — the four-car juggernaut from Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne combined to lead 158 of 203 laps, but Logano found a way to stay out front the final 12 laps.</p>
<p>He had three-wide challenges the entire time, especially from the Hendrick camp, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, but he found a way to keep them behind by swerving side-to-side.</p>
<p>A crash involving Gordon on the final lap brought out the caution. NASCAR froze the running order — and gave Logano a free pass for the final mile to Victory Lane.</p>
<p>“I think as a kid, any young racer dreams of winning the Daytona 500,” Logano said. “It’s the biggest race we have all year.</p>
<p>“There’s a really cool trophy out there that they put everyone’s names on it. A lot of history there. It’s neat to have your name associated with that.”</p>
<p>Harvick finished second, followed by Earnhardt in third, Hamlin in fourth, Johnson in fifth, Casey Mears in sixth, Clint Bowyer in seventh, Martin Truex Jr. in eighth, Kahne in ninth and Greg Biffle in 10th.</p>
<p>At 24, Logano became the second-youngest winner of stock car’s biggest race. After showing so much poise and experience in the final 12 laps, there was a lot of youthful exuberance in Victory Lane.</p>
<p>“This is better than Disney World in here!” he said.</p>
<p>A two-car accident involving Justin Allgaier and Ty Dillon with three laps in regulation set up a two-lap, green-white-checkered sprint three laps into overtime. NASCAR stopped the race for 6 minutes, 42 seconds to clean up the frontstretch, and that gave Logano time to think of all the scenarios that could play out after the restart.</p>
<p>“Really, the caution comes out, you think about strategy, you know we’re staying out, want to save some fuel in case of multiple green white checkers,” Logano said. “Once you get over the fact that you’re about to throw up, you start figuring out how to win the race.”</p>
<p>The best defense was under his hood and on his rear bumper. He powered away quickly with a big push from Bowyer while everyone else tried to jockey for position.</p>
<p>“I knew Clint Bowyer behind me was the best pusher I had all day,” Logano said. “He was very aggressive, pushed me hard. My car was able to handle it at any point throughout the corners and straightaways. A few times we got crossed up, but it worked. I knew I wanted Clint behind me.</p>
<p>“We were able to execute the plan basically after that. Stared in the mirror, tried to bring her home.”</p>
<p>Harvick couldn’t get the same kind of push, so all he could do is settle for second.</p>
<p>“Coming to the white, you never know what’s going to happen,” Harvick said. “Obviously everything is shuffled out to where these two guys (Hamlin and Earnhardt) were nose to tail behind me. Maybe I should have backed up a little bit harder. But I didn’t want to back up so much that they drove right by me. I wanted to try to time it so I could have them to my bumper, have a good run coming off of (Turn) 4, have a shot.</p>
<p>“That didn’t pan out. Didn’t even have a chance to try to time it out.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Earnhardt’s effort </strong></p>
<p>Earnhardt went from third to 15th on one lap when he tried to make a move to the middle groove during the restart after Ryan Blaney’s blown engine. He fell back to 16th place with five laps in regulation and found a way to rally for a top-three finish.</p>
<p>And like Harvick, he ran out of time.</p>
<p>“We sort of strung out,” he said. “Just not enough laps to form anything. I think even if Kevin backed up, I don’t know whether I would have stayed with him or whether Denny would have stayed with me. You never know what decision you would have made.”</p>
<p>Gordon started on the pole and he led a race-best 87 of the first 111 laps. He was 13th during the final restart and was moving through the middle when his car was bumped by rookie Ty Dillon on the backstretch to end the race.</p>
<p>Gordon, who was making his final start in the Daytona 500, wound up 33rd.</p>
<p>“It is disappointing because things were going so well, especially that first half,” Gordon said. “That first half was amazing. I was enjoying that moment very, very much. I felt like we were just doing everything perfectly. The car was amazing.</p>
<p>“I enjoyed every moment of it.”</p>
<p>Tony Stewart’s chance to win his first 500 ended on the 41st lap when his car darted right and struck Blaney’s car. Cars driven by Matt Kenseth, Michael Waltrip, Brad Keselowski, Bowyer and Jamie McMurray also were involved, but all five were able to continue.</p>
<p>Stewart’s car was so crippled he only ran another 48 laps and had to give up. He finished 42nd.</p>
<p>Keselowski, another leading contender, lost an engine with 40 laps to go. Ryan Newman and McMurray crashed after slipping in Keselowski’s oil.</p>
<p>Blaney’s blown engine set up a restart with 18 laps remaining. Johnson was the leader, followed by Logano and Earnhardt.</p>
<p>On the restart, Logano drove to the top of the track to steal the lead. And once he got there, he stayed there by keeping his focus out the window.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>NASCAR Sprint Cup-Daytona 500 Results</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Sunday</p>
<p>At Daytona International Speedway</p>
<p>Daytona Beach, Fla.</p>
<p>Lap length: 2.5 miles</p>
<p>(Start position in parentheses)</p>
<p>1. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 203 laps, 125.3 rating, 47 points, $1,581,453.</p>
<p>2. (11) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 203, 116.3, 42, $1,157,470.</p>
<p>3. (3) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 203, 124.9, 42, $857,245.</p>
<p>4. (42) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 203, 109.9, 41, $680,758.</p>
<p>5. (2) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 203, 104.9, 40, $616,232.</p>
<p>6. (41) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 203, 63.1, 39, $470,640.</p>
<p>7. (9) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 203, 88.4, 37, $437,870.</p>
<p>8. (10) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 203, 98.4, 37, $405,297.</p>
<p>9. (13) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 203, 104.5, 35, $375,045.</p>
<p>10. (8) Greg Biffle, Ford, 203, 91.5, 35, $389,308.</p>
<p>11. (26) David Gilliland, Ford, 203, 61.3, 33, $348,458.</p>
<p>12. (38) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 203, 76.1, 32, $361,953.</p>
<p>13. (27) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 203, 74.4, 32, $330,945.</p>
<p>14. (30) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 203, 73.4, 30, $365,219.</p>
<p>15. (33) Aric Almirola, Ford, 203, 59.4, 29, $363,381.</p>
<p>16. (24) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 203, 69.3, 0, $340,558.</p>
<p>17. (28) David Ragan, Ford, 203, 45.1, 27, $324,908.</p>
<p>18. (4) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 203, 54.7, 0, $383,124.</p>
<p>19. (36) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 203, 50.2, 0, $318,970.</p>
<p>20. (40) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 203, 48.1, 25, $337,420.</p>
<p>21. (20) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 203, 69.6, 23, $331,628.</p>
<p>22. (19) Cole Whitt, Ford, 203, 54.8, 22, $318,065.</p>
<p>23. (6) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 203, 88.2, 22, $335,603.</p>
<p>24. (43) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 203, 39.3, 20, $326,103.</p>
<p>25. (21) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 203, 81.1, 19, $327,840.</p>
<p>26. (34) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 203, 43.7, 18, $347,217.</p>
<p>27. (15) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 203, 79, 17, $349,398.</p>
<p>28. (31) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 203, 72, 0, $317,190.</p>
<p>29. (32) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 203, 72.3, 15, $325,778.</p>
<p>30. (37) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 203, 61.8, 14, $313,240.</p>
<p>31. (23) Michael McDowell, Ford, 203, 64.8, 13, $313,590.</p>
<p>32. (14) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 203, 39.2, 12, $314,228.</p>
<p>33. (1) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 203, 106.7, 13, $594,801.</p>
<p>34. (29) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, accident, 202, 54.8, 10, $344,381.</p>
<p>35. (35) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 202, 55, 9, $350,826.</p>
<p>36. (16) Mike Wallace, Toyota, 199, 26.8, 8, $313,883.</p>
<p>37. (18) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, accident, 197, 61.3, 7, $319,158.</p>
<p>38. (22) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 184, 43.2, 6, $317,261.</p>
<p>39. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, engine, 175, 52.2, 0, $281,003.</p>
<p>40. (25) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 161, 43.8, 0, $273,790.</p>
<p>41. (39) Brad Keselowski, Ford, engine, 160, 76.6, 3, $318,331.</p>
<p>42. (7) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, accident, 72, 59.5, 2, $300,598.</p>
<p>43. (17) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, engine, 18, 26.4, 0, $262,390.</p>
<p>Race Statistics</p>
<p>Average Speed of Race Winner: 161.939 mph.</p>
<p>Time of Race: 3 hours, 8 minutes, 2 seconds.</p>
<p>Margin of Victory: 0.219 seconds.</p>
<p>Caution Flags: 7 for 26 laps.</p>
<p>Lead Changes: 27 among 12 drivers.</p>
<p>Lap Leaders: J.Gordon 1; J.Johnson 2-13; J.Gordon 14-19; J.Yeley 20; M.Annett 21; C.Mears 22; J.Gordon 23-45; J.Logano 46-51; J.Gordon 52-86; C.Edwards 87; D.Hamlin 88; J.Gordon 89-107; A.Allmendinger 108; J.Gordon 109-111; D.Hamlin 112; J.Logano 113; D.Earnhardt Jr. 114-145; J.Logano 146-153; G.Biffle 154-155; J.Logano 156-157; J.Johnson 158-165; C.Edwards 166-167; J.Johnson 168-180; J.Logano 181; J.Johnson 182-187; M.Truex Jr. 188; D.Hamlin 189-190; J.Logano 191-203.</p>
<p>Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): J.Gordon, 6 times for 87 laps; J.Johnson, 4 times for 39 laps; D.Earnhardt Jr., 1 time for 32 laps; J.Logano, 6 times for 31 laps; D.Hamlin, 3 times for 4 laps; C.Edwards, 2 times for 3 laps; G.Biffle, 1 time for 2 laps; C.Mears, 1 time for 1 lap; M.Truex Jr., 1 time for 1 lap; M.Annett, 1 time for 1 lap; A.Allmendinger, 1 time for 1 lap; J.Yeley, 1 time for 1 lap.</p>
<p>Wins: J.Logano, 1.</p>
<p>Top 16 in Points: 1. J.Logano, 47; 2. K.Harvick, 42; 3. D.Earnhardt Jr., 42; 4. D.Hamlin, 41; 5. J.Johnson, 40; 6. C.Mears, 39; 7. C.Bowyer, 37; 8. M.Truex Jr., 37; 9. K.Kahne, 35; 10. G.Biffle, 35; 11. D.Gilliland, 33; 12. S.Hornish Jr., 32; 13. M.Annett, 32; 14. A.Dillon, 30; 15. A.Almirola, 29; 16. D.Ragan, 27.</p>
<p>NASCAR Driver Rating Formula</p>
<p>A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.</p>
<p>The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>ON THE WEB</strong></p>
<p>Was your favorite NASCAR driver Spotted by our Savannah Morning News employee at Daytona? Go to <strong><a href="http://spotted.savannahnow.com" target="_blank">spotted.savannahnow.com</a></strong> to view pictures from the race.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-22/joey-logano-gives-roger-penske-another-daytona-500-win#commentsSportsDon CobleBusinessHuman InterestLaborLawDAYTONA BEACHFordInternational SpeedwayToyotaA.AlmirolaBrad KeselowskiBudweiser ShootoutBusinessCandidate PositionCasey MearsClint BowyerCompany LocationD.HamlinDale Earnhardt Jr.DaytonaDaytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayDenny HamlindriverFloridaforwardGatorade DuelsGreg BiffleHendrick campHuman InterestJ.LoganoJamie McMurrayJeff GordonJimmie JohnsonJoey LoganoJustin AllgaierKasey KahneKevin HarvickLaborLawMartin Truex Jr.Matt KensethMichael WaltripNASCARNASCARoilPerson AttributesQuotationracerResults
Sunday
At Daytona International SpeedwayRoger PenskeRyan BlaneyRyan NewmanSprint CupStock car racingSunday
At Daytona International SpeedwaySunday
At Daytona International Speedwaythe Daytona 500Tony StewartTy DillonUSDSun, 22 Feb 2015 22:06:27 +0000Don Coble1084932 at http://savannahnow.comGordon takes final run at Daytona 500http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-21/gordon-takes-final-run-daytona-500
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14152209.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="235" /></div></p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeff Gordon will start on the pole today in his final Daytona 500. When he retires at the end of the year, he will be third all-time in career Sprint Cup Series victories with at least four championships.</p>
<p>But don’t expect Hendrick Motorsports to skip a beat.</p>
<p>The four-car racing organization came to Daytona International Speedway with unparalleled speed and prowess for the season-opening race. Jimmie Johnson will start on the outside pole; Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be third; and, Kasey Kahne will be 13th.</p>
<p>And, with Chase Elliott, son of racing legend Bill Elliott and the 19-year-old defending Xfinity Series champion, already signed to replace Gordon next season, all Hendrick has to do is sit back and watch his success expand to a new generation.</p>
<p>“Just really proud of the effort that HMS has put into our speedway cars, says a lot about how prepared we were coming down here,” Johnson said. “I think all four of us Hendrick drivers knew it’s really in our hands. The guys did their job at the shop and sent us down here with some really good hotrods.”</p>
<p>The race starts at 1 p.m. (FOX).</p>
<p>All four Hendrick drivers earned their starting spots with speed in qualifying and by racing in one of two 150-mile qualifying races. Gordon won in time trials; Earnhardt and Johnson won their qualifying races.</p>
<p>So far, none of the other 39 cars in today’s race have been able to keep up with the Hendrick camp. With them bunched in the front — only five drivers have won in the previous 56 Daytona 500 races after starting outside the top 20 starting spots — there’s a good chance car owner Rick Hendrick will celebrate even more success.</p>
<p>The one-time boat and drag racer is poised to win his ninth Daytona 500 as an owner. Gordon has three of those wins, while Johnson has two. Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Geoff Bodine each have one.</p>
<p>Gordon may be the sentimental favorite, but Hendrick easily will make room for another trophy from any of his drivers.</p>
<p>“I’m excited about the year,” Hendrick said. “I feel better about where we’re headed than I have in the last couple years. We always seem to be able to ratchet it up. We’ve got such a great core of people. We built it one brick at a time through the years.”</p>
<p>Hendrick dominance has led to 231 combined race wins and 11 championships since the company’s first race in 1984.</p>
<p>Daytona has been perfect so far for the entire Hendrick group. None have been involved in accidents preparing for the 500, and his drivers all seem to be quietly confident and relaxed.</p>
<p>Fast cars will do that.</p>
<p>Earnhardt, who’s finished first or second in four of the last five 500s, said his No. 88 Chevrolet is the best car he’s had at Daytona since he won the Great American Race in 2004.</p>
<p>Johnson led 40 of 64 laps last Thursday in one of the qualifying races, including the final 24. Nobody could catch him, including the Joe Gibbs Racing tandem of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards in second and third place.</p>
<p>The only car Gordon couldn’t beat in his 150-miler Thursday night was Earnhardt’s. But the fact he already clinched the pole position meant he didn’t have to be aggressive with his teammate at the end of the race.</p>
<p>He won’t be as forgiving on today.</p>
<p>“It is one of the greatest celebrations that I can remember ever having from a win,” Gordon said. “That right there just kind of alludes and reminds me of how much this race means to win. To do it in my final one I think would just make it far more emotional than ever before....”</p>
<p>Others have their own dreams for the 500. Earnhardt and Busch will start in the second row, while Joey Logano and Edwards will be in Row 3. The rest of the top 10 includes: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr.</p>
<p>The focus, however, is clearly on Gordon.</p>
<p>“It’s taken me 20 years to get the appreciation for this sport, the greats, the history,” Gordon said. “Of course, winning it. I feel like the first year I won it in ‘97, I didn’t have a full appreciation for the history of this sport.</p>
<p>“That race meant a lot to me, but it didn’t mean near as much to me as after I won the second one and the third (one). I don’t know, just a kid who grew up in open wheel racing in California. That’s not what we did back then.”</p>
<p>Gordon came to Daytona with a different attitude this year, and it’s translated to extra speed and some quiet confidence. Knowing this will be his final Daytona 500 — he vowed to never drive in restrictor-plate races again even if he returns for selected starts in the future — has given him some certainty in a career than lately has been affected by a sore back.</p>
<p>“I think the biggest thing is that relaxed mindset,” he said. “I’m a little bit more relaxed than I normally am for whatever reason. I guess because I’m looking at it as my last Daytona 500.</p>
<p>“I should have had this mindset many years ago. Would have been a lot more relaxed through the years.”</p>
<p>The Elliott hire brought even more peace without sacrificing expectations for both Gordon and Hendrick.</p>
<p>“The effect of walking into the garage area in 2016 and not seeing the 24 car with Jeff Gordon’s name on it will be a traumatic experience for me,” Hendrick said. “We’ve still got a lot of racing to do. Jeff’s still got another year. You’ll see so much effort out of Jeff this year to go out strong. He’s going to have fun with it. I bet Jeff Gordon’s going to be hard to beat.”</p>
</p>
<p><strong>Daytona 500 Lineup</strong></p>
<p>After Thursday qualifying; race Sunday</p>
<p>At Daytona International Speedway</p>
<p>Daytona Beach, Fla.</p>
<p>Lap length: 2.5 miles</p>
<p>(Car number in parentheses)</p>
<p>1. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 201.293 mph.</p>
<p>2. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 201.135.</p>
<p>3. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet.</p>
<p>4. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200.187.</p>
<p>5. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 193.241.</p>
<p>6. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 197.837.</p>
<p>7. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 197.968.</p>
<p>8. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 197.477.</p>
<p>9. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 194.995.</p>
<p>10. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 190.678.</p>
<p>11. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 197.994.</p>
<p>12. (21) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 193.282.</p>
<p>13. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 199.867.</p>
<p>14. (44) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 194.978.</p>
<p>15. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 193.133.</p>
<p>16. (66) Mike Wallace, Toyota, 192.509.</p>
<p>17. (40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 193.299.</p>
<p>18. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 196.532.</p>
<p>19. (35) Cole Whitt, Ford, 194.012.</p>
<p>20. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 197.959.</p>
<p>21. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 198.325.</p>
<p>22. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 198.177.</p>
<p>23. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 195.3.</p>
<p>24. (41) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 197.976.</p>
<p>25. (23) J.J. Yeley, Toyota.</p>
<p>26. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 195.346.</p>
<p>27. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 196.554.</p>
<p>28. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 194.452.</p>
<p>29. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 195.588.</p>
<p>30. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 196.962.</p>
<p>31. (33) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 197.507.</p>
<p>32. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 196.816.</p>
<p>33. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 197.2.</p>
<p>34. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 190.517.</p>
<p>35. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200.214.</p>
<p>36. (83) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 198.22.</p>
<p>37. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 197.256.</p>
<p>38. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 197.243.</p>
<p>39. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 193.357.</p>
<p>40. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 198.212.</p>
<p>41. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 197.946.</p>
<p>42. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota.</p>
<p>43. (32) Bobby Labonte, Ford, Past Champion.</p>
<p>Failed to Qualify</p>
<p>44. (62) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 197.828.</p>
<p>45. (29) Justin Marks, Toyota, 194.675.</p>
<p>46. (30) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 190.791.</p>
<p>47. (26) Jeb Burton, Toyota, 195.004.</p>
<p>48. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 198.229.</p>
<p>49. (98) Josh Wise, Ford, 193.386.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-21/gordon-takes-final-run-daytona-500#commentsSportsDon CobleHuman InterestDAYTONA BEACHFordInternational SpeedwayToyotaBill ElliottBudweiser ShootoutCaliforniaCarl EdwardsChase ElliottChevrolet isClint BowyerCompany LocationDale Earnhardt Jr.Darrell WaltripDaytonaDaytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayFloridaGatorade DuelsGeoff BodineGreg BiffleHendrick campHuman InterestJeff GordonJimmie JohnsonJoey LoganoKasey KahneKyle BuschMartin Truex Jr.NASCARNASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesQuotationracerRick HendrickSprint Cup SeriesSprint Cup SeriesStock car racingSunday
At Daytona International SpeedwayTony StewartSat, 21 Feb 2015 22:17:15 +0000Don Coble1084843 at http://savannahnow.comEarnhardt Jr., Johnson give Hendrick Motorsports dominating Duel winshttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-19/nascar-dale-earnhardt-jr-wins-qualifying-race-daytona-500
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14147723.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="186" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14147725.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="379" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14147753.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="384" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14147724.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="166" /><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14147722.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="156" /></div></p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.</p>
<p><strong>I</strong>f enough bizarre things happened Thursday during both 150-mile duel races that sets the field for the Daytona 500, it was possible that fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. would have missed Sunday’s race.</p>
<p>The one thing that was both settling and expected was Earnhardt’s ability to pass all 24 cars in his heat race to win his qualifier — and a third-place starting spot in Sunday’s big race at Daytona International Speedway.</p>
<p>Jimmie Johnson gave Hendrick Motorsports a sweep by leading the final 23 laps, including four in overtime.</p>
<p>“We’ve had a great car all week,” Earnhardt said. “I’m so glad to get through the Duel in one piece with how good this race car is.</p>
<p>“We’ve had fast cars in single-car runs that don’t draft well and we’ve had cars that draft well but run slow in single-car runs. This car is fast no matter what.</p>
<p>Earnhardt was forced to start the 60-lap race from last place after his car failed post-qualifying inspection last Sunday. He passed seven cars on the first lap and was in the lead by lap 35.</p>
<p>After that, it was a matter of staying there. While Earnhardt and Johnson gave the Duels its customary star power, the night also belonged to a bunch of low-tiered race teams that drove their way into the Daytona 500 with as much determination as horsepower.</p>
<p>Michael McDowell, Landon Cassill, Cole Whitt, Michael Annett, Ty Dillon and J.J. Yeley all raced their way into the Daytona 500 with top-16 finishes in the first qualifying race, while Reed Sorenson, Ryan Blaney, Mike Wallace, David Ragan, David Gilliland and Justin Allgaier got in from the second heat race.</p>
<p>McDowell was 19th at the white flag and rallied this Ford to a stunning 12th-place finish in the first race.</p>
<p>“When we came to the white, I was at the back of the pack,” McDowell said. “There wasn’t a lane, but we opened one. This is as good as a victory for us.”</p>
<p>Just making the starting lineup is worth about $300,000.</p>
<p>The top 15 cars from each race, excluding Daytona 500 front row starters Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, moved into Sunday’s main event. The last 11 positions went to drivers with the fastest leftover qualifying speeds from last Sunday and provisional exemptions based on last year’s standings.</p>
<p>Drivers who will miss the 500 are: Jeb Burton, Brian Scott, Alex Bowman, Justin Marks, Josh Wise and Ron Hornaday Jr.</p>
<p>Gordon won the pole position for the first qualifying race.</p>
<p>Sprint Unlimited Shootout winner Matt Kenseth beat Gordon off the line to lead the first 17 laps. Casey Mears’ blown engine brought out the caution flag and shuffled Kenseth back to third on the restart.</p>
<p>It only took six laps for Kenseth to easily pass Gordon and he stayed there until the next yellow flag for a crash between A.J. Allmendinger and Johnny Sauter.</p>
<p>Just when it appeared Kenseth was unbeatable, Earnhardt finally caught him. Earnhardt, along with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Gordon and Kasey Kahne, ganged up on Kenseth with 18 laps to go.</p>
<p>Trevor Bayne hit the second-turn wall with eight laps remaining. That set up a restart with five laps to go.</p>
<p>Earnhardt and Gordon started to break away, but Joey Logano surged to separate them on the backstretch on lap 57.</p>
<p>But Earnhardt cut his car left and right on the final two laps to keep everyone behind, and Gordon made a last-corner pass to finish second.</p>
<p>“We had to do a lot of blocking there at the end,” Earnhardt said. “Those guys mounted some pretty hard charges. The car was so good. It was hard to keep them all back there. They were stacking up.”</p>
<p>Logano wound up third, followed by Tony Stewart in fourth, Clint Bowyer in fifth and Kevin Harvick in sixth.</p>
<p>Kenseth eventually got shoved out of line and he dropped back to a 17th-place finish.</p>
<p>“(Earnhardt) with the 24 (Gordon) was a little stronger than I expected,” Kenseth said.</p>
<p>In the second race, Kyle Busch led 21 of the first 22 laps. Allgaier sent Ragan on a long spin coming off the fourth turn to bring out a caution, and Busch was caught speeding on pit road. That dropped him back to 19th on the restart.</p>
<p>That advanced Johnson into the lead. He stayed out front for the next 12 laps, which kept him in front of a four-car pileup involving Bowman, Sam Hornish Jr., Austin Dillon and Burton coming to the finish line at the end of the 36th lap.</p>
<p>The red flag brought the race to a stop for a seven-minute clean-up.</p>
<p>Johnson was still out front when brothers Kurt and Kyle Busch teamed up to make a run at the lead. Kurt Busch, however, fell out of contention when he was black-flagged for passing Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. below the out-of-bounds line on lap 44.</p>
<p>The lead pack had 16 cars and all would have advanced to the Daytona 500 if they could avoid trouble in the final four laps. That apparently was too much to expect.</p>
<p>Denny Hamlin ran into the back of Danica Patrick’s car, sending her into a spin that collected cars driven by Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman and Brian Scott.</p>
<p>Johnson led the restart with two laps of overtime remaining and he had no trouble staying there.</p>
<p>Kyle Busch rallied to finish second, while Carl Edwards was third, Greg Biffle was fourth and Truex Jr. was fifth.</p>
<p>Despite crashing, Ragan and Patrick both managed top 16 finishes to drive their way into the 500.</p>
</p>
<p>NASCAR Sprint Cup-Budweiser Duel 1 Results</p>
<p>Thursday</p>
<p>At Daytona International Speedway</p>
<p>Daytona Beach, Fla.</p>
<p>Lap length: 2.5 miles</p>
<p>(Start position in parentheses)</p>
<p>1. (25) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 60 laps, 128 rating, 0 points, $55,725.</p>
<p>2. (1) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 60, 113.8, 0, $40,725.</p>
<p>3. (10) Joey Logano, Ford, 60, 94.6, 0, $35,725.</p>
<p>4. (15) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 60, 83.9, 0, $30,725.</p>
<p>5. (20) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 60, 67.8, 0, $28,725.</p>
<p>6. (14) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 60, 73, 0, $26,325.</p>
<p>7. (3) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 60, 99.2, 0, $25,225.</p>
<p>8. (5) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 60, 86, 0, $24,225.</p>
<p>9. (23) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 60, 70.2, 0, $24,200.</p>
<p>10. (22) Cole Whitt, Ford, 60, 65.9, 0, $24,175.</p>
<p>11. (12) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 60, 84.9, 0, $24,150.</p>
<p>12. (19) Michael McDowell, Ford, 60, 68.2, 0, $24,125.</p>
<p>13. (11) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 60, 46.9, 0, $24,100.</p>
<p>14. (17) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 60, 51.8, 0, $24,075.</p>
<p>15. (18) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 60, 49.8, 0, $24,050.</p>
<p>16. (4) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 60, 53.8, 0, $24,025.</p>
<p>17. (2) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 60, 108.7, 0, $24,000.</p>
<p>18. (21) Justin Marks, Toyota, 60, 39.6, 0, $23,950.</p>
<p>19. (9) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 60, 74.5, 0, $23,925.</p>
<p>20. (8) Aric Almirola, Ford, 60, 47.9, 0, $23,900.</p>
<p>21. (24) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 60, 27.3, 0, $23,850.</p>
<p>22. (7) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 60, 61.8, 0, $23,825.</p>
<p>23. (13) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, accident, 27, 72.7, 0, $23,775.</p>
<p>24. (6) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, accident, 27, 33.4, 0, $23,750.</p>
<p>25. (16) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, engine, 17, 40, 0, $23,725.</p>
</p>
<p>Race Statistics</p>
<p>Average Speed of Race Winner: 144.462 mph.</p>
<p>Time of Race: 1 hour, 2 minutes, 18 seconds.</p>
<p>Margin of Victory: 0.165 seconds.</p>
<p>Caution Flags: 3 for 13 laps.</p>
<p>Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.</p>
<p>Lap Leaders: M.Kenseth 1-17; T.Bayne 18; J.Gordon 19-21; J.McMurray 22; J.Gordon 23-24; M.Kenseth 25-34; D.Earnhardt Jr. 35-37; M.Kenseth 38-42; D.Earnhardt Jr. 43-60.</p>
<p>Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): M.Kenseth, 3 times for 32 laps; D.Earnhardt Jr., 2 times for 21 laps; J.Gordon, 2 times for 5 laps; J.McMurray, 1 time for 1 lap; T.Bayne, 1 time for 1 lap.</p>
<p>NASCAR Driver Rating Formula</p>
<p>A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.</p>
<p>The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-19/nascar-dale-earnhardt-jr-wins-qualifying-race-daytona-500#commentsSportsLatest NewsDon CobleHuman InterestDAYTONA BEACHFordInternational SpeedwaySprintToyotaA.J. AllmendingerAlex BowmanAustin DillonAuto racingBrian ScottCasey MearsClint BowyerCole WhittCompany CompetitorCompany LocationDale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.David GillilandDavid RaganDaytonaDaytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayFloridaGatorade DuelsHuman InterestJ.J. YeleyJeb BurtonJeff GordonJimmie JohnsonJoey LoganoJohnny SauterJosh WiseJustin AllgaierJustin MarksKasey KahneKevin HarvickKurt BuschKyle BuschLandon CassillMatt KensethMichael AnnettMichael McDowellMike WallaceNASCARNASCARNASCAR Nationwide SeriesPerson AttributesQualifierQuotationReed SorensonRon Hornaday Jr.Ryan BlaneySam Hornish Jr.Stock car racingthe Daytona 500Tony StewartTrevor BayneTy DillonUSDFri, 20 Feb 2015 01:41:49 +0000Don Coble1084707 at http://savannahnow.comNASCAR NOTEBOOK: Ray Black Jr. has a strategy for truck racehttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-19/nascar-notebook-ray-black-jr-has-strategy-truck-race
</p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ray Black Jr. has a simple plan to take baby steps — at 190 mph — for the first 200 miles of tonight’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.</p>
<p>After that, he doesn’t make any promises.</p>
<p>The 23-year-old driver from Flagler Beach, Fla., will start his rookie of the year campaign with the Camping World Truck Series race with hopes of taking a trophy home to the First Coast.</p>
<p>Black’s No, 07 Chevrolet is sponsored by Jacksonville, Fla.-based ScubaLife.com and CDA Technical Institute, along with NASE Worldwide of Flagler Beach. All three companies focus on commercial and recreational SCUBA-diving training.</p>
<p>The race, which takes the green flag at 7:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1), will be the eighth in Black’s young career, but his first at the mammoth 2.5-mile speedway.</p>
<p>“I’m comfortable. I feel the draft,” he said. “It’s fun to work around it and figure out where you can be. I’m just going to take baby steps. Sounds weird, but that’s what it is.</p>
<p>“I’d say between one and 10, I’m about a four or five,” Black said. “I raced Texas (last year) and I got to feel the draft a lot. Even there when the car gets away from you, it’s hard to catch it back up.</p>
<p>“You’re flat open here. While I’m learning, it’s flat against the yellow line (at the bottom of the track) until you get more comfortable and you move it up slowly.”</p>
<p>With 36 trucks at the track, Black won’t have to worry about qualifying for the main event. His place in the starting lineup will be determined during pole qualifying at 4:45 p.m. today.</p>
<p>Johnny Sauter posted the fastest speed Thursday afternoon in the final practice session at 190.617 mph. Cameron Hayley was second, followed by Austin Theriault in third, Ty Dillon in fourth and Spencer Gallagher in fifth.</p>
<p>Black was 19th-fastest after following veteran drivers to gain knowledge and experience.</p>
<p>He plans to do the same until the final five laps today.</p>
<p>“At the end of the race, it might be me doing something dumb,” he said. “At the beginning, I’d have to worry about somebody else. I’m personally not going to do anything crazy until you have five to go.”</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Gordon understands conspiracy claims </strong></p>
<p>Danica Patrick won the pole in her first attempt in the Daytona 500 in 2013, and Austin Dillon won the pole a year ago in the first appearance of the famed No. 3 since 2001 when Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the Daytona race.</p>
<p>So when Jeff Gordon won the pole weeks after announcing this would be his final year as a full-time driver, it’s easy to understand why some would question the sport’s integrity.</p>
<p>Gordon said he understands it all, but says it’s more a product of social media than NASCAR manipulating race cars.</p>
<p>“Nah, you know, I guess especially now, with social media, that voice and that opinion is so instantaneous and everybody is able to see it,” he said. “I think people have been thinking that for years no matter what’s happening on the track. They just didn’t have the outlet maybe to express it the way that they can now today. That’s just part of the fans’ avidness and their loyalty to the sport and their passion in expressing it.”</p>
<p>After struggling with knockout qualifying last year at the Talladega Superspeedway, last Sunday’s pole-winning effort came as a surprise. For that reason, he some understanding for the doubters.</p>
<p>“I just think that it’s almost too good to be true, and I’m sitting here doing the same thing,” he said. “But I also know that we earned it. And so, I get to be on both sides.”</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-19/nascar-notebook-ray-black-jr-has-strategy-truck-race#commentsSportsDon CobleDAYTONA BEACHFLAGLER BEACHJacksonvilleInternational SpeedwayNASE WorldwideNextEra Energy ResourcesAuto racingCDA Technical InstituteChevrolet isCompany LocationDale EarnhardtDaytona 500Daytona 500 historyDaytona Beach, FloridaDaytona International SpeedwayDaytona International SpeedwaydriverFloridaJeff GordonMotorsportNASCARNASCARQuotationRay Black Jr.Spencer GallagherTexasThu, 19 Feb 2015 22:59:31 +0000Don Coble1084698 at http://savannahnow.comRacing spirit bond Keselowskis togetherhttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-17/racing-spirit-bond-keselowskis-together
</p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As ARCA Series teams patiently waited in line last Thursday to roll their cars through inspection, NASCAR teams were 50 yards away in the Daytona 500 Club doing photo shoots and preseason interviews.</p>
<p>While they were only separated by a chain-linked fence, the differences between the groups couldn’t have been any more profound.</p>
<p>Bob Keselowski stood in line with his ARCA team. He wore a sweatshirt and his hands were hardened and blackened by a life of hard work.</p>
<p>His son, Brad Keselowski, was doing his own thing under the white-hot spotlights of the sport’s assembled media. His hair was perfect, his racing suit sharp and pressed.</p>
<p>While father and son race with the same kind of uncompromising passion, their duties to the sport contrast sharply.</p>
<p>“That’s not me. I don’t really care for that part of it,” the elder Keselowski said. “In the position he’s in, especially racing for Roger Penske, you’ve got to be politically correct, clean white shirt. That’s not me. I’d be under the car changing a gear. I’d get oil all over that shirt.</p>
<p>“I’d rather be out here.”</p>
<p>The younger Keselowski is trying to fit in his own little world, too. There is so much of his father’s racing attitude on the inside, but some in the garage don’t appreciate that level of honesty and aggressive style.</p>
<p>Fans used to say the same thing about Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski is content with his place as the newest “bad boy” in the Sprint Cup Series. And he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about it.</p>
<p>“Time will dictate who and what I am and how I race,” Brad said. “There’s always things you can look back and do differently. But I’m not looking back. I can’t travel back in time. The things that have happened in the past define me, and I’m happy with where I’m at in life.”</p>
<p>He had a long, and very dangerous, dust-up with Carl Edwards in 2010 when Edwards finally put Keselowski on his roof at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.</p>
<p>Last year he had late-race problems with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and again with Gordon and Matt Kenseth at the end of the Texas Motor Speedway. The Texas run-in ended Gordon’s chance of advancing in the Chase for the Championship, and it sparked a pit road brawl that left Keselowski with a bloodied lip.</p>
<p>Rules for the playoffs forced drivers to race harder for victories. Late-race aggression was everything the sanctioning body wanted. It’s also the reason it didn’t penalize any of the drivers.</p>
<p>“What bothered me the most were people that felt I cost Jeff a championship last year because I didn’t feel that way at all,” Keselowski said. “I felt like those were people that got caught up in the rhetoric and were just trying to use a line to get readers or clicks or viewers or whatever it is. That bothered me a little bit. I didn’t lose sleep over it though.”</p>
<p>While Brad Keselowski came away with </p>
<p>a tarnished reputation following the Charlotte and Texas races, Bob Keselowski said his son didn’t go far enough.</p>
<p>“I probably would have handled the Charlotte deal a little different than what he did,” he said. “You might not want to hear this: I would have taken care of (Matt) Kenseth before the race ended. There’s one cardinal rule in racing — you don’t screw with the race leader if you’re a lap down. That’s a cardinal sin. I don’t care if you’re racing from here to China, a lap car does not screw with the leader.</p>
<p>“In any other racing deal, a leader would have put him through the wall so hard. I wouldn’t have waited until after the race. I would have taken care of it right then.”</p>
<p>Car owner Richard Childress worked with Earnhardt for six of his seven championships. He got fined in 2011 for punching Kyle Busch in the nose after a truck series race at the Kansas Speedway.</p>
<p>So it makes sense he likes Keselowski’s attitude.</p>
<p>“He’s a hard driver,” Childress said. “I like Brad. He’s just a hard racer.</p>
<p>“I had a racer like that with me once, and people gave us a little heat back in the day. You just take it and go on and race to win. You know he’s going to race you as hard as he can.”</p>
<p>Danny “Chocolate” Myers was Earnhardt’s longtime gas man during the run of championships. He believes Keselowski is a throwback to his late friend.</p>
<p>“All those people who said they liked Earnhardt but don’t like him, I don’t get it,” he said.</p>
<p>Older veterans, many who raced against Earnhardt, seem to have a little more tolerance for Keselowski’s style. Younger drivers, especially Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, openly have no use for him.</p>
<p>“Yeah, he’s awesome. He’s a great driver. He’s interesting,” Michael Waltrip said. “He’s opinionated, feels like he knows more about this sport than anybody, which he doesn’t. But that’s cool.</p>
<p>“We all have our opinions and we all think our opinions are spot on. And when you are the champion like he was and win races like he does, you have a voice. Your voice gets listened to and played a lot, and that makes you think you’re even more important.”</p>
<p>The challenge for young Keselowski is to race like his father without making enemies. If he’s forced to pick one over the other, he always will play to his roots.</p>
<p>“Growing up, whether you’re a racer or not, your father plays a very important role who you are and who you become,” the son said. “He’s a leader by example.</p>
<p>“For me, my dad was extremely dedicated in racing. He had a unique approach that I could learn from and expand myself. Because of that, he really defined the majority of who I am in a racecar. You get over the highs and lows.”</p>
<p>Bob Keselowski won a truck series race and 24 ARCA Series races. He won the ARCA championship in 1989 but now focuses on building cars for his other son, Brian Keselowski. He has no role with Brad’s Penske Racing team.</p>
<p>Now 31, “Bad Brad” has 16 wins and the 2012 championship after just five years of fulltime driving. He said he doesn’t expect to change his demeanor or the way he drives. If others don’t like it, the best way to get even is to beat him. Anything else is bluster.</p>
<p>“I haven’t spent a lot of time worrying about brands or whatever,” Keselowski said. “I have put a lot of thought into winning and I have put a lot of thought into why I am here and why I am still racing. When I wake up in the morning I feel good about why I am here.”</p>
</p>
</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-17/racing-spirit-bond-keselowskis-together#commentsSportsDon CobleAtlantaCharlotteDAYTONA BEACHAtlanta Motor SpeedwayAuto racingBob KeselowskiBob KeselowskiBrad KeselowskiBrad KeselowskiBrian KeselowskiCale YarboroughCarl EdwardsCharlotte Motor SpeedwayDale EarnhardtDale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Darrell WaltripDenny HamlinFamily RelationFloridaJeff GordonK-Automotive MotorsportsMatt KensethMichael WaltripMotorsportNASCARNASCAR Nationwide SeriesNASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesoilPenske RacingPerson LocationQuotationracerRichard ChildressRoger PenskeSprint Cup SeriesTexasTexas Motor Speedwaythe Sprint Cup SeriesTony StewartTue, 17 Feb 2015 22:37:01 +0000Don Coble1084428 at http://savannahnow.comJeff Gordon takes pole at Daytonahttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-15/jeff-gordon-takes-pole-daytona
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14135360.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="247" /></div></p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — While everyone else was bemoaning or trying to figure out the new qualifying procedures Sunday for the Daytona 500, Jeff Gordon did what he’s done for most of his storied 24-year career — drive to the front.</p>
<p>The 43-year-old driver announced last month he will retire from full-time driving at the end of the season. He now will go out in style as the pole winner in his final Daytona 500.</p>
<p>“At this moment I’m not treating this any different than winning a pole,” Gordon said. “It’s business as usual. I’m not saying I’ve been at the top of the limelight in attention in the sport, but I’ve gotten enough of it. It’s hard not to enjoy that. So far, I’m just enjoying the ride.</p>
<p>“What a storybook ending it would be.”</p>
<p>Knockout qualifying created a lot of angst among most of the drivers trying to win a spot in Sunday’s season-opening race at the Daytona International Speedway. Compounding the confusion was trying to calculate when and where to go during any of the four five-minute sessions. Even odder was the fact Gordon was 11th in line during the final grouping, but his speed — 201.293 mph was quicker than anyone else.</p>
<p>And that put him on the pole for next Sunday’s race.</p>
<p>Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson was 12th in line, but he was second-quickest in speed to win the outside pole.</p>
<p>Being fast had nothing to do with running out front. In </p>
<p>fact, the quickest speeds were posted by drivers who made one-lap charged in the slipstream created by the leaders.</p>
<p>In fact, Martin Truex Jr. was first in line, but last in speed.</p>
<p>“Restrictor-plate racing is just backwards,” Johnson said.</p>
<p>Twenty-five drivers ran a five-minute session and 24 were in a second session. The fastest 24 combined speeds from the two groupings advanced to the second round. Another 12 were eliminated in that round, leaving one five-minute session to determine the front row for the 500.</p>
<p>“Definitely huge for many reasons,” Gordon said. “This is one I’ve been stressing about for a while. This format is crazy and chaotic. In the past, this has been one of the easiest days for me. Now you play the chess match, the time game.”</p>
<p>Gordon and Johnson now have their spots locked into the Daytona 500. The rest of the 43-car field will be set by a variety of options, including results of two 150-mile qualifying races on Thursday.</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Different racing </strong></p>
<p>The first heat race Sunday was chaotic before it started. Cars bumped on pit road and were knocked into the infield grass as everyone tried to jockey for position to start a run.</p>
<p>Two laps into the session, Justin Allgaier ran into Reed Sorenson’s car, turning him into cars driven by Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Bobby Labonte and J.J. Yeley.</p>
<p>Bowyer was livid by the rules that forced Sorenson to veer left and right to block the advance of trailing cars.</p>
<p>“It’s idiotic to be out here doing this anyway,” Bowyer said. “There’s no sense in being able to try to put on some cute show for whatever the (heck) this is. Then you have a guy out there doing this in desperation.</p>
<p>“But it ain’t his fault. It’s NASCAR’s fault for putting us in the middle of the crap for nothing. We used to come down here and worry about who would sit on the front pole for the biggest race of the year. Now all we do is come down here and worry about how a start-and-park like this out of desperation is going to knock us out of the Daytona 500.”</p>
<p>Sorenson, whose Chevrolet sustained damage on pit road at the beginning of the knockout session, accepted blame for the crash.</p>
<p>“He was pretty upset; he has a right to be upset,” he said. “I was trying to block. I think what he saw is what I was trying to do. I was just trying to stay in front of him to get that good lap.</p>
<p>“It’s just a product of trying to run that one good lap and I was trying to stay in front of that line. That was our only shot to run a good lap was to stay in front of him. You see blocking here all the time. It’s part of this racing and now it’s part of the qualifying here.”</p>
<p>Hamlin posted the fastest lap of the session before the accident. Austin Dillon was second and Labonte was third.</p>
<p>There were more cat-and-mouse games in the second session, but there were no accidents. Aric Almirola won the segment, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in second and Carl Edwards in third.</p>
<p>Johnson won the second knockout round with Hamlin following in second, Jamie McMurray in third and Gordon in fourth.</p>
<p>The final 12 waited on pit road until the last possible moment. Each knew exactly when a lap had to start before the five-minute clock expired with Gordon and Johnson making to the starting line with only two seconds to spare.</p>
<p>“We knew what the risks were to get the pole,” Johnson said. “We were willing to take that risk to gamble there.”</p>
<p>“Once we made the clock, I knew we were in really good shape,” Gordon said.</p>
<p>All four Hendrick Motorsports cars, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne, were among the top 12, as well as all four Joe Gibbs Racing cars – Edwards, Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth.</p>
<p>Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Jamie McMurray and Truex Jr. were the other four top-12 drivers.</p>
<p>Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Edwards and McMurray all were guaranteed a spot by their speeds in qualifying, while Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart all are locked in with provisional exemptions.</p>
<p><strong>DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING</strong></p>
</p>
<p><strong>At Daytona International Speedway</strong></p>
<p><strong>Daytona Beach, Fla.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Lap length: 2.5 miles</strong></p>
<p><strong>(Car number in parentheses)</strong></p>
</p>
<p>1. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 201.293 mph.</p>
<p>2. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 201.135.</p>
</p>
<p><strong>Failed to Qualify</strong></p>
<p>(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.933.</p>
<p>(20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 200.214.</p>
<p>(18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200.187.</p>
<p>(5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 199.867.</p>
<p>(27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 198.325.</p>
<p>(7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 198.229.</p>
<p>(83) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 198.22.</p>
<p>(47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 198.212.</p>
<p>(31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 198.177.</p>
<p>(4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 197.994.</p>
<p>(41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 197.976.</p>
<p>(14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 197.968.</p>
<p>(10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 197.959.</p>
<p>(13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 197.946.</p>
<p>(19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 197.837.</p>
<p>(62) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 197.828.</p>
<p>(33) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 197.507.</p>
<p>(16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 197.477.</p>
<p>(6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 197.256.</p>
<p>(9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 197.243.</p>
<p>(43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 197.2.</p>
<p>(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 196.962.</p>
<p>(17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 196.816.</p>
<p>(46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 196.554.</p>
<p>(51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 196.532.</p>
<p>(42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 195.588.</p>
<p>(38) David Gilliland, Ford, 195.346.</p>
<p>(95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 195.3.</p>
<p>(88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 195.08.</p>
<p>(26) Jeb Burton, Toyota, 195.004.</p>
<p>(15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 194.995.</p>
<p>(44) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 194.978.</p>
<p>(29) Justin Marks, Toyota, 194.675.</p>
<p>(34) David Ragan, Ford, 194.452.</p>
<p>(35) Cole Whitt, Ford, 194.012.</p>
<p>(98) Josh Wise, Ford, 193.386.</p>
<p>(2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 193.357.</p>
<p>(40) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 193.299.</p>
<p>(21) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 193.282.</p>
<p>(22) Joey Logano, Ford, 193.241.</p>
<p>(1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 193.133.</p>
<p>(66) Mike Wallace, Toyota, 192.509.</p>
<p>(30) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 190.791.</p>
<p>(78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 190.678.</p>
<p>(55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 190.517.</p>
<p>(32) Bobby Labonte, Ford.</p>
<p>(23) J.J. Yeley, Toyota.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-15/jeff-gordon-takes-pole-daytona#commentsSportsLatest NewsDon CobleHuman InterestDAYTONA BEACHFordInternational SpeedwayToyotaAustin DillonBobby LabonteBrad KeselowskiCarfax 400Carl EdwardsClint BowyerCompany LocationDale Earnhardt Jr.Daytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayDenny HamlindriverFloridaGatorade DuelsHuman InterestJ.J. YeleyJamie McMurrayJeff GordonJimmie JohnsonJoey LoganoJustin AllgaierMartin Truex Jr.Matt KensethNASCARNASCARQuotationReed SorensonRicky Stenhouse Jr.Stock car racingthe Daytona 500Sun, 15 Feb 2015 22:34:04 +0000Don Coble1084283 at http://savannahnow.comKenseth wins crash-filled Sprint Unlimitedhttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-14/kenseth-wins-crash-filled-sprint-unlimited
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14134175.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="155" /></div></p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Matt Kenseth was the last man standing in stock-car racing’s version of the Royal Rumble, the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race.</p>
<p>By getting to the front — and more importantly staying there — Kenseth was able to stay ahead or steer clear of crashes that involved all but nine of the 25 starters at the Daytona International Speedway Saturday night.</p>
<p>By the time Kenseth took the checkered flag, the race had been stopped twice for big crashes. And most of the 12 cars that limped to the finish were held together by duct tape.</p>
<p>Kenseth easily led the final four laps. Martin Truex Jr. made a big run on the final lap, but Kenseth blocked him on the stretch drive. Carl Edwards wound up third, followed by Casey Mears in fourth, Kyle Larson in fifth, Joey Logano in sixth, Jeff Gordon in seventh, Kyle Busch in eighth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. in ninth and Danica Patrick in 10th.</p>
<p>“I had a feeling (Friday) all four of our cars (at Joe Gibbs Racing) were fast,” Kenseth said.</p>
<p>The non-points race was limited to the 16 drivers from last year’s Chase for the Championship, pole winners from last season, former Daytona 500 pole winners and former Unlimited winners. </p>
<p>Four other drivers rounded out the 25-driver lineup based on the final 2014 point standings.</p>
<p>Brad Keselowski’s crash on Lap 24 was the only mishap in the first 25-lap segment. The accident started when Kyle Larson drifted right and hit Keselowski’s front bumper. Cars driven by Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer all suffered some collateral damage.</p>
<p>Dale Earnhardt Jr. skipped a chance to change tires during the caution period and he led the first 11 laps in the second segment, but he was forced to pit road to remove debris from his front grille. While the stop helped his overheating engine, the team again failed to change tires.</p>
<p>The trash on Earnhardt’s grille also got him out of the mix of a massive crash on Lap 46. That one started when Jamie McMurray’s car was bumped from behind by Greg Biffle. That triggered a 12-car chain reaction that either eliminated or crippled half the remaining field.</p>
<p>Biffle told his team he thought McMurray was “loose,” a term used when the rear tires lose traction.</p>
<p>McMurray agreed — sort of.</p>
<p>“Well, it was when he (Biffle) had my back tires off the ground. It’s hard to hang onto,” McMurray said. “It happened two or three times and got me out of control and I caught it. It’s part of it. When you get a big run like that you’ve got to get to the guy and start pushing. If you don’t you lose all your momentum.</p>
<p>“Everyone was racing really hard tonight. I was actually a lot of fun out there. When Greg got into the back of me, I just couldn’t hang onto it anymore.”</p>
<p>Bowyer summed up the entire crash, saying, “You’re pushing and beating and banging.”</p>
<p>Others who were involved included: Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt Kenseth, Aric Almirola, Jimmie Johnson, Bowyer and Kyle Busch.</p>
<p>Hamlin was surprised the big crash didn’t happen earlier in the race.</p>
<p>“We all knew this was coming,” he said. “It was just a matter of time.”</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Enfinger wins ARCA run </strong></p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Grant Enfinger had a new team and a familiar finish at Daytona.</p>
<p>He dominated again and won the ARCA Series race at Daytona International Speedway for the second straight season.</p>
<p>Enfinger led the most laps and raced to his ninth career victory in the stock car series. </p>
<p>He went back-to-back at Daytona International Speedway with two different teams. He won last season with Team BCR Racing and was in the No. 23 Chevrolet on Saturday for GMS Racing.</p>
<p>“I think this is the beginning of a lot of great things for GMS Racing,” Enfinger said.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-14/kenseth-wins-crash-filled-sprint-unlimited#commentsSportsLatest NewsDon CobleDAYTONA BEACHInternational SpeedwaySprint UnlimitedAustin DillonAuto racingBrad KeselowskiBudweiser ShootoutCarl EdwardsCasey MearsClint BowyerClint BowyerDale Earnhardt Jr.Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Danica PatrickDaytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayDenny HamlinFloridaGrant EnfingerGreg BiffleJamie McMurrayJeff GordonJoe GibbsJoey LoganoKyle BuschKyle LarsonMartin Truex Jr.Matt KensethNASCARQuotationStock car racingThe Big OneTony StewartSun, 15 Feb 2015 03:38:18 +0000Don Coble1084236 at http://savannahnow.comLarson to hit those can't-miss expectationshttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-13/larson-hit-those-cant-miss-expectations-0
<div><img src="http://sav-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_slideshow_thumb/14131978.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb imagecache-default imagecache-story_slideshow_thumb_default" width="280" height="426" /></div></p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The only laps Clint Bowyer’s made in nearly three months have been on a tractor. That’s why tonight’s night’s Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at the Daytona International Speedway is so important.</p>
<p>Twenty-five drivers will participate in the 75-lap, non-points race. The field was limited to the 16 drivers from last year’s Chase for the Championship, pole winners from a year ago, former Daytona 500 pole winners and former Unlimited winners.</p>
<p>Four drivers — David Gilliland, Brian Scott, Brian Vickers and A.J. Allmendinger — turned down their invitations for a variety of reasons. That elevated four alternates into the main event.</p>
<p>And one of those alternates, Paul Menard, won the pole position Friday afternoon in a blind drawing. Kasey Kahne will start second.</p>
<p>The green flag is scheduled to wave at 8:15 p.m. (FOX).</p>
<p>NASCAR outlawed all private testing, so the first laps weren’t made until a pair of practice sessions on Friday. The race, broken into segments of 25 and 50 laps, will give teams a chance to shake off some rust.</p>
<p>And while the winner will get at least $200,000, most consider the exhibition as a dress rehearsal for Thursday’s 150-mile qualifying races and the Daytona 500 on Feb. 22.</p>
<p>“It’s just practice,” Bowyer said. “I used to have the Nationwide (now called the Xfinity Series) race and things like that to get acclimated with your spotters and everything. I’ve been driving a tractor. It’s been a long off-season and nobody has tested, nobody has been in a car and nobody has been acclimated to your guys and everything else.</p>
<p>“You don’t want to just to show up cold turkey and not be ready ... for the Daytona 500. I believe that.”</p>
<p>Bowyer was one of three alternates who got into the lineup at the last minute. Paul Menard, Casey Mears and Ricky Stenhouse were the other two.</p>
<p>The rest of the field includes: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman and Aric Almirola.</p>
<p>Like others in the race, Patrick said she’s glad to get extra work this weekend to get reacquainted with her crew and car.</p>
<p>“I mean, I feel like early in the season as much track time as you can get to kind of just get back in the rhythm is good in general, but really good at Daytona because it’s such a rhythm, these speedway races, with where to go, the feel of it, the momentum, the air,” she said. “It’s kind of funny that I’m going to be getting in the car for the first time since Homestead, and it’s going to be for a race weekend. That does feel kind of weird.”</p>
<p>Bowyer said his team also needs to practice race-day communications and pit stops.</p>
<p>“Having that race under our belt with all of us able to talk and Pattie on the [pit] box, just to get in sync with one another before the big dance is what that race is all about,” he said.</p>
</p>
<p>Sprint Unlimited Lineup</p>
<p>After Friday qualifying; race Saturday</p>
<p>At Daytona International Speedway</p>
<p>Daytona Beach, Fla.</p>
<p>Lap length: 2.5 miles</p>
<p>(Car number in parentheses)</p>
<p>Based on Qualifying Draw</p>
<p>1. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>2. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>3. (22) Joey Logano, Ford.</p>
<p>4. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford.</p>
<p>5. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota.</p>
<p>6. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>7. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford.</p>
<p>8. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>9. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota.</p>
<p>10. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet.</p>
<p>11. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>12. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>13. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>14. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota.</p>
<p>15. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>16. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota.</p>
<p>17. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>18. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota.</p>
<p>19. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford.</p>
<p>20. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford.</p>
<p>21. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>22. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>23. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet.</p>
<p>24. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet.</p>
<p>25. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-13/larson-hit-those-cant-miss-expectations-0#commentsSportsDon CobleDAYTONA BEACHFordInternational SpeedwaySprint UnlimitedToyotaA.J. AllmendingerAric AlmirolaAustin DillonBrad KeselowskiBrian ScottBrian VickersCarl EdwardsCasey MearsClint BowyerCompany CompetitorCompany LocationDale Earnhardt Jr.Danica PatrickDavid GillilandDaytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayDenny HamlinFloridaGatorade DuelsGreg BiffleJamie McMurrayJeff GordonJimmie JohnsonJoey LoganoKasey KahneKevin HarvickKurt BuschKyle BuschKyle LarsonMartin Truex Jr.Matt KensethNASCARNASCARNASCAR Nationwide SeriesPaul MenardPrivateQuotationRicky StenhouseRyan NewmanSaturday
At Daytona International SpeedwayStock car racingthe Daytona 500Tony StewartUSDFri, 13 Feb 2015 23:18:38 +0000Don Coble1084114 at http://savannahnow.comLarson ready to hit those can't-miss expectationshttp://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-13/larson-hit-those-cant-miss-expectations
</p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kyle Larson had a new level of maturity and confidence when he walked into the Daytona 500 Club Thursday for NASCAR’s annual media day.</p>
<p>Everything around him made a little more sense. More importantly, he felt like he belonged there, standing under the white-hot spotlight with other stock-car stars.</p>
<p>The driver who gained immediate notoriety in 2013 when parts from his crashing car landed in the grandstands on the final lap of the Xfinity (formerly Nationwide) Series race at the Daytona International Speedway, now is being hailed as NASCAR’s next can’t-miss superstar.</p>
<p>Hundreds before him were burdened by the same prospects. All but a handful failed.</p>
<p>Larson, however, already is ahead of schedule in his young career. He grew up racing sprint cars in California. He was discovered by former sprint-car racers Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. Like Stewart and Gordon, Larson has been quick to grasp stock cars. </p>
<p>His rookie season a year ago that included eight top-five finishes and 17 top 10s certainly sets the stage for future success, especially to those who see a similarity between the 22-year-old driver and a young Gordon.</p>
<p>“I don’t pay much attention to that. I don’t brag about (it) or anything. I hear it, I move on and I go race,” Larson said. “I hope I’m the next big thing. We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess. I’m sure there are a lot of other ‘next big things’ coming up. I hope I can stand out as that guy.”</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>On track </strong></p>
<p>Teammate Jamie McMurray believes he’s already exceeding most expectations.</p>
<p>“I think for sure Kyle is going to make it,” he said. “He’s so fortunate to come along in our organization at the time he did. One or two years prior to that, it would have been a different season. The cars just weren’t at the level they needed to be at.</p>
<p>“He came along at the right time. He’s super-talented. I don’t see how he can do anything but be successful.”</p>
<p>Larson’s first Sprint Cup season also includes a pole position, 54 laps led and an average finish of 15.7.</p>
<p>Gordon’s rookie season in 1993 featured seven top-fives, 11 top 10s, a pole, 230 laps led and an average finish of 17.7.</p>
<p>“Good rookie year, I guess,” Larson said. “I didn’t know it was as good as some people have said. I didn’t think it was so great.”</p>
<p>But it was enough for Larson not to feel so overwhelmed Thursday. And a victory with McMurray and Ganassi’s IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan in last month’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona elevated the young driver with only two years of stock car experience to a higher level.</p>
<p>Larson raced in the sports car marathon in 2014 and hated the experience. Now he can’t wait to do it again.</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Experience pays </strong></p>
<p>“I think just having ... a year’s worth of experience, though, last year, I was way more comfortable with everything, familiar with the cockpits now, and the controls and all that, and understand how the tires need to get up to temperature to have grip and all that,” Larson said. “I learned a lot last year by struggling that helped me out for this year. I can’t wait for next year, and hopefully Chip will invite me to run again.”</p>
<p>Larson’s dramatic improvement has convinced Ganassi and co-owner Felix Sabates bigger things are coming. And they believe it’s coming this year.</p>
<p>“We all would like him to become a man who wins races and wins championships,” Ganassi said. “That’s easy to say. It’s just as important each step he takes, he takes solid steps. We have our goals for this year.”</p>
<p>Sabates said those goals include both drivers winning races and qualifying for the Chase for the Championship.</p>
<p>“No, I wasn’t surprised because that is our expectations for sure. I think that is Chip Ganassi’s expectation every year,” Larson said. “I feel like me and Jamie both expect that our cars are going to be really fast this year.</p>
<p>“Last year we were both fast enough to deserve to be in the Chase. We just didn’t do the right things during the season to put ourselves in position to make the Chase. I felt like in the Cup series last year, I did a good job of finding that edge and not really jumping it.”</p>
<p>Larson is more at ease approaching his sophomore season in Sprint Cup. He’s learned from his rookie mistakes and already feels like a veteran for the upcoming season.</p>
<p>Just like everyone expected.</p>
</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-13/larson-hit-those-cant-miss-expectations#commentsSportsDon CobleHuman InterestDAYTONA BEACHInternational SpeedwaySprintAuto racingCaliforniaChip GanassiClub ThursdayDaytona 500Daytona International SpeedwaydriverFelix SabatesFelix SabatesFloridaHuman InterestJamie McMurrayJamie McMurrayJeff GordonKyle LarsonLike StewartMotorsportNASCARNASCARQuotationSprint CupTexacoTony StewartTony StewartFri, 13 Feb 2015 23:17:26 +0000Don Coble1084113 at http://savannahnow.comThompson, Coughlin sweep front row for ARCA race http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-13/thompson-coughlin-sweep-front-row-arca-race
</p>
<p>DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Mark Thompson and Cody Coughlin will start on the front row of this afternoon’s Lucas Oil 200, the season-opening race for the ARCA Racing Series.</p>
<p>The race will start at 4:15 at the Daytona International Speedway.</p>
<p>The ARCA Series has been a springboard to several NASCAR stars. Benny Parsons, Kyle Petty, Tim Richmond, Ryan Newman and Kyle Busch all launched their careers with a 200 victory at Daytona.</p>
<p>Thompson posted a fast lap of 187.336 mph in a Toyota. Coughlin’s Toyota ran 187.320.</p>
<p>The rest of the top-10 qualifiers were: Tom Hessert in third, Brett Hudson in fourth, Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell in fifth, Daniel Suarez in sixth, Blake Jones in seventh, Will Kimmel in eighth, Sean Corr in ninth and Leilani Munter in 10th.</p>
<p>Last year’s winner, Grant Enfinger, will start 13th, while eight-time race winner Bobby Gerhart will be 14th.</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Gordon’s final Daytona 500 </strong></p>
<p>Although Jeff Gordon said he may drive in some selected races following his retirement at the end of the season from fulltime racing he has no plans for any restrictor-plate races.</p>
<p>That means the Daytona 500 on Feb. 22 will be his last.</p>
<p>“I’m not saying that I won’t ever run another Brickyard,” Gordon said. “I definitely won’t be running another restrictor-plate race. It’s just, show me the risk versus reward there.”</p>
<p>Gordon said it’s all about being confident and comfortable in the car. Like so many other drivers, it’s difficult to find that comfort level when cars are stuck together in three-wide, 10-deep packs at the two restrictor-plate tracks – the Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.</p>
<p>“I say this with confidence: I know that some people are going to criticize me for saying that, but I think that actually the fans should actually look at that as a good thing, because they don’t want us to always be comfortable out there,” he said.</p>
<p>“They want to understand that we’re in a white-knuckle experience and that it’s terrifying in some ways. It’s hectic, it’s physical, it’s mental, and so the restrictor-plate tracks are, for a guy that doesn’t want to race full time, that’s not a desire that I have to put myself through that.”</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>My silly Valentine </strong></p>
<p>The only good thing about not qualifying for today’s Sprint Unlimited exhibition race is it gave Sam Hornish Jr. time to find some Valentine’s Day gifts on Friday.</p>
<p>Others hoped to work the romantic holiday around the racing schedule.</p>
<p>“My wife and kids are coming in town, so tomorrow on my pseudo-day off I’m going to go out and try to get all my shopping and everything done,” Hornish said. “I waited because I’m a procrastinator and also because I didn’t want to have to bring it on the plane with me.”</p>
<p>Aric Almirola told his wife he will give her a trophy for winning the Unlimited.</p>
<p>“If that doesn’t happen, I’ll have to be quick on my feet and figure something out,” Almirola said. “After the race is over I’ll have to see what the situation is and go from there.”</p>
<p>Jamie McMurray said he doesn’t worry about finding the right gift for his wife since, “Every day is Valentine’s Day at the McMurray house.”</p>
</p>
<p node="hl2"><strong>Pit stops </strong></p>
</p>
<p>Brad Keselowski has advice for any child with dreams of being a racecar driver: “Learn to golf. It pays a lot better.” … Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet still had last year’s yellow rookie stripe on the rear bumper when it was unloaded Friday. Dillon and his grandfather, car owner Richard Childress, had a little ceremony pulling the stripe off to signify the end of his rookie status … today’s schedule includes Daytona 500 pole position practices at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., followed by the season-opening race for the ARCA Racing Series Lucas Oil 200 at 4:15 p.m. and the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at 8:15 p.m.</p>
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-02-13/thompson-coughlin-sweep-front-row-arca-race#commentsSportsDon CobleHuman InterestDAYTONA BEACHMartinsvilleInternational SpeedwayMartinsville SpeedwayToyotaAric AlmirolaAuto racingBenny ParsonsBlake JonesBobby GerhartBobby GerhartBrett HudsonClay CampbellCody CoughlinDaniel SuarezDaytona 500Daytona 500Daytona International SpeedwayDaytona International SpeedwayFloridaGrant EnfingerHuman InterestJamie McMurrayJeff GordonJeff GordonKyle BuschKyle PettyLeilani MunterLucas Oil Slick Mist 200Mark ThompsonMotorsportNASCARNASCARNASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesPerson CareerpresidentQuotationRestrictor plateRyan NewmanSean Corrthe Daytona 500Tim RichmondTom HessertFri, 13 Feb 2015 22:17:04 +0000Don Coble1084109 at http://savannahnow.com